Deputy FM: US Violating Iranian Children’s Rights by Economic Warfare

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Gholamhossein Dehqani blasted Washington for imposing sanctions against the country, expressing regret that Iranian children are paying the price of economic war.

“The Iraqi, Afghan and Palestinian children have for years been victimized by the US adventurism in the region; also, today, the Iranian children are in another way present in the war. Economic warfare which deprives children of possibilities is a violation of their rights,” Dehqani said, addressing a regional conference on children’s rights in Tehran on Wednesday.

He also referred to the dire situation of children in Yemen, saying that millions of children in the war-hit country are in dire need of drinking water, food and medicine.

“They are victims of the multi-billion-dollar contracts of other countries,” Dehqani said, referring to Saudi Arabia and its allies’ arms deals with the US and other western states.

On November 5, the US Treasury Department reinstated all sanctions on Iran lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

According to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the sweeping sanctions see 700 people blacklisted, including people who were granted relief under the 2015 deal, as well as over 300 new names.

The Trump administration has agreed to allow eight countries to continue purchasing Iran’s crude oil after Washington’s sanctions on Tehran took place.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said earlier this month that the American officials had admitted their incapability to stop Iran’s crude sales, and the US sanctions would only leave negative impacts on imports of foodstuff, medicine and medical equipment.

“What the Iranian officials said that the US is not able to zero Iran’s oil exports was proved with the US recent admission,” President Rouhani said after a trilateral meeting with the parliament speaker and judiciary chief in Tehran.

“The US announced that it cannot zero Iran’s oil sales because the oil prices will rise to $150; this is what we had said (before). In this region, either Iran’s oil is exported or others will be in trouble as well,” he added.

President Rouhani referred to the US lies that the foodstuff, drugs and medical equipment were exempted from Washington’s sanctions against Iran, and said, “This is incorrect. When the banking system is sanctioned, everything is affected.”